Sonette, principal landscape architect at the City of Cape Town, had the upgrades to her charming Pinelands courtyard garden all figured out, leaving us to focus on the installation only. She and dad go back roughly 19 years as colleagues and friends both working for the City, making this a more personal project than most.
First, we built an edging for the front garden bed facing the street with similar pavers used for the driveway. Access to the courtyard was improved by utilising a combination of square and rectangular stepping stones with mondo grass planted in-between. A potted Acacia tree was moved to a better location and properly staked, and a Celtis africana planted in a pot in its place.
For the courtyard itself, Sonette opted for an assortment of indigenous plants that would provide year-round interest in front of the tickey creeper covered wall. The combination of grasses, Chlorophytum saundersiae and Juncus effusus, are a favourite of mine as they merge perfectly with the water feature to satisfy the senses of sound and movement in a garden. Tulbaghia and Scabiosa provided subtle colour and interest towards the front of the bed.
